World

EU Officials Sound Alarm Over Rise of Youth-Driven Online Extremist Violence

By AP

Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks on the United States, European security officials are confronting a new and evolving threat: a form of extremism driven largely by young people online, distinct from traditional jihadist terrorism. Authorities say this phenomenon, known as nihilistic violent extremism, is difficult to measure and track. During a coordinated crackdown in June and July, police from nine European countries identified roughly 4,340 web addresses connected to an online community referred to as 'The COM'. Bartjan Wegter, the European Union's Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, described the trend in an interview with The Associated Press ahead of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. 'It's violence for the sake of violence,' he said. According to Europol, the EU's police agency, 45 terrorist attacks occurred across 10 of the bloc's 27 member states last year, though none caused mass casualties. Roughly half of these were thwarted or unsuccessful, but six people died as a result. Authorities arrested 486 individuals suspected of terrorism-related activity across 21 countries. Jihadist networks, frequently linked to or inspired by groups outside Europe, were responsible for 24 of the attacks and made up more than 70 percent of the arrests. Notably, about a third of those detained were minors, primarily boys. Europol does not formally track statistics on nihilistic violent extremism, as definitions vary and such acts can overlap with ordinary criminal behavior. However, specific cases illustrate the trend. In Finland this year, a 16-year-old boy stabbed three female classmates after allegedly circulating a 'manifesto' through WhatsApp groups. He filmed the attack on Snapchat and later asked online for someone to preserve and send him the footage after his release from custody. In his manifesto, he expressed a desire to do something 'significant' and 'exciting,' though no political motive was identified, according to an EU report on the emerging threat. Wegter explained that such acts often stem from a fascination with violence rather than ideology. 'It's violence as a means of asserting oneself, as a means of gaining status in those online communities,' he said. 'There's not a direct link with ideology.' In a separate case in Italy last year, a 15-year-old boy allegedly planned a murder to gain online notoriety. Authorities found he had stored images and videos depicting assaults, murders, school shootings, and child exploitation material on his phone. Wegter noted that such incidents, increasing over the past two to three years, are not random but often organized through online networks 'driven by young people, for young people, often involving young boys.' These networks, he said, can lead to real-world violence, including unprovoked stabbings, such as one case involving a young person attacking an elderly victim without apparent motive. He added that these cases are particularly hard to detect because the individuals involved typically have no prior criminal record and leave little trace beyond encrypted online spaces. One of the most concerning networks under surveillance is known as 764, founded by American Bradley Cadenhead, a high school dropout now serving an 80-year prison sentence for child pornography and sexual offenses. Despite his imprisonment, the group remains active. In Germany last year, a 20-year-old believed to be a senior member of 764 faced 123 charges, including murder, rape, and child sexual abuse, described in an EU report as reflecting 'an unimaginable level of brutality and inhumanity.' Unlike the 9/11 attackers, who traveled to the U.S. for training, today's extremist threats in Europe are largely coordinated online. Wegter said the digital space, despite its benefits, remains 'too permissive' and functions as 'a petri dish for the connection between different threats.' While privacy advocates argue that individuals have a right to communicate without unwarranted surveillance and criticize the use of spyware and similar tools by authorities, Wegter maintained that law enforcement must be equipped to address modern threats. He noted that 85 percent of investigations now take place in digital environments, requiring agencies to adapt accordingly. He also emphasized the importance of international cooperation, particularly with countries that serve as bases for these online networks, saying, 'What happens outside our borders impacts on our security.' Europol has also flagged the growing use of artificial intelligence in extremist activity, including the creation of propaganda through deepfakes, memes, and GIFs, as well as AI-powered bots used for recruitment and ideological promotion. AI tools have also reportedly been used to help plan attacks. 'The kind of violent content, violence-inciting content, propaganda, manuals, tactics—everything that is available is very much amplified by AI,' Wegter said.